


Sleepless Dream

by Dunx5000



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Dream Bubble, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-02-27
Updated: 2012-02-27
Packaged: 2017-10-31 19:15:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,377
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/347477
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dunx5000/pseuds/Dunx5000
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Feferi and Eridan meet in a dream bubble. Warning: May contain SadStuck.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sleepless Dream

Through the boundless distance of Paradox Space, a young troll swam between bubbles, as effortlessly as she would through the ocean. Bracelets of imperial gold rested on her arms, and her tiara on her head. Her skirt flowed behind her, as did her raven hair. She was Feferi Peixes – the heiress to a barren kingdom, and a dead race.

 

She had come to terms with the fact that she was dead some time ago – _mostly._ The Horrorterrors reminded her of her deceased lusus, and were both friendly and benevolent to the child of Gl’bgolyb. Often, they were available for brief conversations, informing the young troll about the Dream Bubbles they had gifted her and her friends. Feferi found them fascinating.

 

She had appointed herself as Warden of the Dream Bubbles – they didn’t really need protecting, what with the Horrorterrors themselves being in the vicinity, but she liked being able to see her friends' dreams. She would peer into them occasionally, checking the state of their dreams, making sure they weren’t having nightmares, or needing to be rescued. This, too, was largely unnecessary – her friends didn’t have many troubling dreams.

 

A new bubble appeared near Feferi – an indication someone else had just fallen asleep. She darted towards it, having mingled feelings of curiosity and nosiness about the new bubble. Maybe it was Karkat. Maybe he’d _finally_ decided it was time to sleep. He'd needed it, and badly, the last time she’d seen him. Not that she knew how long it had been since then. She peered into the bubble, until the murky layer gave way.

 

It wasn’t Karkat. Not at all. It was _him_.

 

Feelings cascaded into her head. Anger. Sadness. Confusion. Disappointment. Pity. Hate. All of them, and more, flooded her senses; she was overwhelmed. Acting more on instinct than reason, she dived into the bubble as though it were a pool, its surface not resisting her at all.

 

_He would pay._

_\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
_

Eridan stood in the centre of a dark void. He thought he was standing anyway – it felt like it. Maybe he was floating – that made about as much sense. All he really knew was, he felt scared, and alone. He had the feeling that something wasn’t right.

 

He stood (or floated) there, wondering what was going on. He couldn’t remember where he was, or what had happened recently. He remembered the game, the Black King, and the Demon… after that, nothing.

 

He heard something, a noise, and wheeled instinctively. His training on Alternia, preparing for military service, had taught him to keep on his toes when in unfamiliar territory. But try as he might, there was a thought that threw him off.

 

It was almost like he had _felt_ the noise, rather than hearing it.

 

“Hello?” Eridan shouted into the void. “Is anyone there?”

 

He felt another movement, behind him this time, and wheeled to face his assailant.

 

“…Fef?” He couldn’t believe it; _she_ had got the drop on him? “Wwhat’s going on?”

 

“)(ello, --Eridan,” Feferi replied.

 

“Somefin up, Fef?” Eridan asked, confused. There was something in her voice, a coldness, that seemed unfamiliar to him.

 

“You don’t remember, do you, -Eridan?” she asked him. Again, there was a frigid tone to her voice that put Eridan off balance.

 

“Remember?” he asked, confused. “Remember wwhat? I remember the game, and that monster of a final boss… and the meteor?”

 

“Look at me, -Eridan,” Feferi whispered. If he didn't know her better, Eridan would have said it was a command.

 

“Wwater you talking about?” Eridan insisted

 

“Look at me, -Eridan,” she repeated, quietly.

 

“Fef, come on. Wwhatevver it wwas, I didn’t mean it, okay?”

 

It was then Eridan felt cold metal against his neck. He looked down, and was shocked to see Feferi’s 2x3dent pressed against his neck.

 

“Fef? Wwhat the hell?”

 

“LOOK AT M—E, --ERIDAN!” she roared, icy anger in her voice.

 

And he did. He really looked, rather than merely glancing at her.

 

Her head was still adorned with the regal tiara, her arms with circlets of gold. But Eridan’s eyes were drawn to something else.

 

“Fef… your eyes…” he gasped. They were blank; expressionless. His gaze was drawn further down, to her chest. To the gaping hole, leaking her regal tyrian purple blood.

“…oh Cod…”

 

“That’s right, -Eridan,” Feferi growled, “We’re D-EAD.”

 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Anger flowed through Feferi’s mind. And rightfully so. She was confronting the troll who killed her, who had slaughtered her as he would a lowblood.

 

“So wwe’re dead?” Eridan said, oddly quiet and calm, given her trident was still pressed to his neck.. “Wwhat now, Fef?” Eridan asked. He was stiff as a board, his blank eyes locked on her trident. “Wwe’re dead, right? Are you going to kill me, noww?” His question cut through her anger. What _was_ she going to do? Kill him? She didn’t even know if she _could,_ even if she wanted.

 

“I…” she started, before trailing off. Feeling numb, she let her trident clatter on the floor. “I’m not going to krill you.”

 

Eridan heaved a sigh of relief, his body slacking. “Wwhat are you going to do?”

 

“I… don’t know…” Feferi answered. “I don’t know w)(at I’m going to do.”

 

“Wwhy are you angry at me, Fef?” Eridan asked, in his pathetic quivering voice, “Wwhat’d I do?”

 

“You still don’t R—EM—EMB—ER?” Feferi shouted, incredulously. “YOU were the one who KILL---ED me!”

 

Eridan flinched, his eyes widening as the memories started flooding back. “Oh Cod. Oh, Fef, I’m sorry, I—“

 

“Don’t,” Feferi interrupted. “Don’t apologise. I know all the reasons. I know you didn’t mean it. I know it was a mistake. I know you didn’t mean it,” she said, tears forming in her eyes. “It doesn’t )(elp, -Eridan. I’m still dead. I’m still angry.”

 

“Oh Fef,” Eridan was near to tears too, and was dabbing the corners of his lifeless eyes with his scarf. “Oh, I’m so sorry. So, so sorry. I never meant—“ he caught himself. “Fef… I lovve you”

 

Feferi rounded on him, her anger reinvigorated. “You t)(ink I didn’t know t)(at?!” she shouted at him. “You t)(ink t)(at makes it B—ETT---ER?!”

 

Eridan was opening and closing his mouth. “You… kneww?” he said, startled.

 

“Of course!” Feferi yelled, “W---E ALL DID!”

 

Eridan recoiled, as though he had been struck. “Wwhat..?”

 

“I didn’t want to… talk about it,” Feferi admitted. “Maybe that was wrong of me. You knew I didn’t feel t)(at way about you!”

 

Eridan staggered, falling to his knees. “You… dumped me,” he said, as though it were a new memory.

 

“Because you wouldn’t listen,” Feferi said in desperation. “You were my MOIRAIL, but you never listened to me!”

 

“I…” Eridan stammered.

 

“And you got jealous!” she continued, “You got jealous of Sollux, because I LIK----ED him?! Pitied him?!”

 

“I…” Eridan repeated, dumbfounded.

 

“Don’t,” Feferi said. Her anger had left her, and she felt exhausted. “Don’t try and justify it any other way. You know it’s true.”

 

Eridan just kneeled there, shocked. After a few moments, he had the courage to speak.

 

“Wwell… wwater wwe gonna do, Fef?” he asked. He was shaken, and saddened. Feferi was shaking herself; she hated seeing him sad. She didn’t know why it still did, after all that happened. She hated knowing that _she_ of all people had upset him...“I don’t know,” she replied. “I still care about you, -Eridan. I still… pity… you” she lapsed into silence for a moment. _Pity? Was that really the case? It felt… right, somehow._ “ I just… need some space…”

 

Eridan stared at her, speechless once again. Feferi felt the tears falling down her cheeks, and she let them fall.

 

“Maybe I can forgive you, -Eridan,” she finished. “I don’t know.”

 

With that, she left the dream bubble. Tears were still streaming down her cheeksas she swam through Paradox Space. She felt cold tendrils against her skin, stroking her hair back, hearing the whispers of the Horrorterrors.

 

“T̩͇̗̤̉̃̓͜͝h̗̲͍̫́͌͗͒e̶̶̪̖̩͉ͩ̎̎͋͋r̵̲͓̰̰ͪͩͩ̍̍̋͑ͫͯe͓̲͈̰͉͇̳̊̈͋͋̄͜͟͞,͚͍͖͉̞̱̻̺ͪ͜͢ ̴͛̉ͦ̓҉̤̦͔͖͓̗͔̙́t̚͏̗͈̯͎h̓ͪͤ͊҉̶̱̬ẹ̷̴̰̿͋r̴̛̲̻̭͙̰̙͚͚̣̐̉̾̓ͨ͑̚e̢ͣ̈̓̎̚҉͕̘̙̮̮̳ͅ ̜̯ͭ͗̓̍͛ͦ̀͡͝ͅd̷͍͓̫̘͖̭̱̜̎e̱̤̦̯̠̹̟̗͐̒́ͅa͋̉͜͏͇r̶̵̢̹̟͕̾͌̅̇͗̎̈́.̧̘́ͩͭͩ̇̕ ̶̢̏ͯͫ̄̈́̒͒ͣ̄” they said soothingly, stroking her softly. “Ì̹̼͔̭̫̤̞̺̐̾̅̔̽̕͟͜t̪͖͆̊ͯ̓'̴̶̯̗ͬ̔̒͐ͫ̈́ͧ̌s̬͈̹͗͑́̀͡ ͚̻́̽̄̋́͝o̸̭̩̰͚͉̦ͨ̈́k̩͙͍̣̹̥̳̜ͨͭ̅̌̍̅ͫ͐͘a̢̢͖̤͎̦̬̽̏y̴̱͇͉͒͋̈́ͩ̂ͩ͋͒̚. I̧̩̦͈͚̝ͮ̈ťľ̺͎̐̔̈l̶̗̮͖̠͑̒̌͗̊ ̨͇̃̉ͬ̽̎̕͘b̴̡̩̭̭͉̻̰̩̄̽̏ͪ̑ͩ͑͟ě̢̑̅͂͐͗ͭ  ̸͚͒̅̚͢oͦ̈͏̛̛̟͈̲k̨͖͔̞̗͍͈̣ͫ̑a̧̬̯̳̺̜̫͔ͪ͋ͮ͆͗ͮy̷̖͍̹͇͕̘̻̫͑̂̉̐”

 

Feferi just stayed there, in the embrace of the Horrorterrors, and cried. She'd thought it would make her feel better to talk to Eridan.

It hadn’t.

It still hurt.

**Author's Note:**

> :::DISCLAIMER:::
> 
> I do not hate EriFef. I, in fact, rather like it. But that doesn't mean I can't indulge in SadStuck once in a while, right? I hope you enjoyed reading this fic.


End file.
